Girl, 3, critically injured in house fire

SOUTH SIDE — A 3-year-old girl was critically injured Sunday in a South Side fire that she may have started by playing with matches near a couch, police said.

Two adults, including a neighbor, suffered minor injuries attempting to rescue the child, officials said.

The girl suffered second-degree burns on 20 percent of her body and was not breathing when firefighters rescued her from a second-story bedroom of a home in the 8100 block of South Houston Avenue, Fire Department spokesman Tim Stokes said.

She was taken to University of Chicago Hospitals, where she was listed in critical condition Sunday night.

Witnesses said the girl was playing with matches shortly before the fire broke out around 2:20 p.m., police said.